Best Practices for Network Change Management
Evolving the network to a next-generation architecture is all the rage now. A digital business needs an agile, dynamic network to use as a foundation for innovation, so the network must now evolve....
View ArticleWriting the Next Chapter of Your Network Management Career
The Hills was a popular MTV-produced “reality” TV show that created pop culture icons such as Lauren Conrad, Brody Jenner (son of Caitlyn) and one my favorites, Kristin Cavallari. The theme song from...
View ArticleTo Maximize The Value Of SD-WAN, Look Past Hardware Savings
I moderated a workshop on the topic of software defined WANs (SD-WAN) last month and I’m continually baffled that the focus of software-defined networking remains on the hardware for so many...
View ArticleIt’s Time To Stop The ‘WANSanity’
One of the quotes that Albert Einstein is credited with is: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If that is indeed how insanity is...
View ArticleIs Hybrid WAN an Unnecessary Step to a Broadband WAN?
A few weeks ago I presented on the state of Software-Defined Networks (SDN) at this years Open Networking User Group (ONUG) conference. During the section on SD-WAN I made a comment that I thought...
View ArticleMore Thoughts on 2016’s Crystal Ball Networking Predictions
The year 2015 is almost in the books. That means it’s time to say, “I can’t believe the year is almost over,” and time for many of us in the industry to make some bold predictions as to what we think...
View ArticleStandardization Is The Key To SD-WAN Success
When it comes to IT projects — be they WAN or any other domain — there’s a general rule of thumb that should be applied but often is not: if the solution is more complicated than the problem, then...
View ArticleWith SD-WAN, Don’t Forget Performance
The enterprise WAN has always been challenging to manage. It can be complicated, slow to reconfigure, lack security and many applications perform poorly over it. High service costs, capEx and opEx...
View ArticleDon’t Just Monitor Your Applications – Control Them!
How’s Your Productivity? Businesses spend billions of dollars annually on initiatives to make workers more productive. In fact, ZK Research found that in 2015, organizations spent in aggregate over...
View ArticleSD-WAN Can Make Network Management Impactful To The Business
Navigating By The Dashboard Lights Every network operations center I have been in always has a big dashboard in the middle with a bunch of red and green lights. Sometimes it’s a simple display showing...
View ArticleService Providers Need To Embrace The Rise Of Managed SD-WAN
About a month ago I attended an analyst session with Michael Dell at VMWorld. During the event, Mr. Dell stated that he learned many years ago that when things are good for businesses, customers are...
View ArticleThe Importance of Setting Network Baselines
The networking industry is in the midst of a transition to the digital era. The network plays a critical role in the success of digital businesses as many of the digital building blocks, such as IoT...
View ArticleIt’s OK For Network Managers To Give Up Their Security Blanket
In the popular comic strip Peanuts, Linus was always seen carrying his blanket. Clearly, the blanket gave the young lad a sense of comfort and security even in the face of his sister Lucy calling it...
View ArticleSD-WANs Solve the Internet Access Conundrum
Merriam-Webster defines the word “conundrum” as an “intricate and difficult problem”. This word can most certainly be used in a business context to describe the challenges associated with providing...
View ArticleNetwork Managers Must Embrace Automation, Not Fear It
When discussing the value of an SD-WAN, many points enter the discussion. Cost comes up as SD-WANs are certainly cheaper. Delivering a better and more predictable user experience is another reason to...
View ArticleHighly-Distributed Organizations Should Consider Managed SD-WAN To Accelerate...
Highly-Distributed Organizations Should Consider Managed SD-WAN To Accelerate Adoption There is no company too small or large to take advantage of Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN). The only requirement...
View ArticleManaged SD-WAN Evaluation Criteria
In my last post I focused on how managed SD-WAN service providers can help large, distributed organizations with the complexity of managing dozens of relationships with various broadband providers....
View ArticleAnother New Year’s Resolution for Network Managers: I Will Embrace Virtual...
Another New Year’s Resolution for Network Managers: I Will Embrace Virtual Network Functions In my blog near the beginning of the year, I urged network managers to make a resolution to not stick with...
View ArticleSD-WANs Will Sail Right Past The “Trough of Disillusionment”
The Gartner Magic Quadrant is certainly the most iconic graphic ever created by an industry analyst firm. Second on that list is the Gartner Hype Cycle. Personally, I find the naming scheme of the...
View ArticleFive New Rules For The WAN In The Digital Era
It’s safe to say that no one likes change. It makes us uncomfortable and puts us in positions that we are not familiar with. This is certainly true in our personal lives, but it’s also true in our...
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